Lord of Terror
by A Wound Unhealing
Summary: Based on the games Diablo 1 and 2, rated R for violence. It has horror, action, adventure, magic, all sorts of stuff with a few twists and turns along the way.
1. Up in flames

Lord of Terror : Part One  
Written by Francois Linde  
  
Diablo, Diablo 2, some characters, locations etc. belongs to Blizzard software.  
  
  
He could see the bright red flames licking at the night sky above Tristram in the distance. The glow reflected in his dark brown eyes, and he gritted his teeth as he recalled the events of the last few days. Shakuras turned his back on the burning city, and started his lonely journey through the woods.   
  
He heard footsteps behind him. He turned and drew his sword, as silently as he could. The blade was still wet with the Mad King's blood. Shakuras closed his eyes at the memory of having to slay his king. He had no other choice, he reminded himself. King Leoric was no longer in control of his actions when he was slain.  
  
They say that the once noble king had gone mad, when his son, Prince Albrecht had gone missing. Leoric went on a murderous rampage once he was given the news of his son's disappearance. Everyone was a suspected kidnapper, and all suspects were tortured and eventually murdered.   
When Leoric's knights eventually questioned his methods, the king himself took up his sword and killed several of them, before they had the chance to disarm him.   
  
Shakuras had been one of the king's most noble knights, and had been training to become a Paladin - one of the holy knights of the Zakarum. He had been the youngest apprentice ever accepted at the Temple of light, but he had a lot of potential. Now he was forced to abandon it all - for he was the one who had killed the king. He was a disgrace to the knighthood, and the Zakarum, for one should never take up arms against one's own king - even in self defence. He had sworn an oath to protect his king, and he himself was the murderer.   
  
A twig snapped to his right. Shakuras' head snapped in the direction of the sound instinctively. He could make out the faint outlines of a man, crouching in the darkness, ready to spring a trap. " Face me, coward, " Shakuras bellowed at the hidden would-be attacker. " And meet thy doom, " he continued.   
  
The dark figure lept out of the shadows, and bowled Shakuras over. The young knight rolled with the impact, and flipped his attacker onto his back. He got up, and faced his enemy, sword glinting in the moonlight. Shakuras studied his attacker's face carefully. He had handsome features, with blue eyes and blond hair. The man was not unfamiliar to him, for he was a knight, like Shakuras had been only days before. The man's name was Andrometh. Andrometh seemed to have a madness in his eyes, the same madness Shakuras had seen in the king's eyes.   
  
" Andrometh, listen to me, " Shakuras pleaded, " I had no choice but to kill the king - he was not himself anymore. " Andrometh grunted and swung his mace at Shakuras, who sidestepped the blow. " I don't want to fight you! " Andrometh smiled evilly at Shakuras. " Well then don't fight me, and I'll kill you all the more easily. " With that, he swung his weapon at the young man again. Shakuras felt the tremendous force of the blow as he blocked it with his sword. " You killed my king, Traitor! " Andrometh bellowed, and rushed at his opponent. Shakuras had no other choice. He could not keep on simply defending himself much longer. He ducked Andrometh's mace, and slashed his sword across the possesed man's back. Andrometh's face twisted in agony, as he felt the cold steel slash his back right to the bone of his spine. He spluttered, dropped to his knees, and half-turned to Shakuras. His eyes flashed bitter hatred at his one time friend and ally, before they took on a lifeless glaze and he fell to the groud, dead.  
  
--- To be continued --- 


	2. Strange Creatures

Lord of Terror : Part Two  
  
  
Shakuras stood over Andrometh's lifeless body. He felt pity for the man, for he had been a valiant warrior, and now he was dead at the hands of an old ally.   
He was not sure whether Andrometh was indeed possessed, as he believed the King to be at the time of his death, or whether the knight had just wanted to avenge the murder of his Liege. Shakuras could not shake the feeling that Evil was responsible for the change in both men.   
He sheathed his sword, and started running. He was certain there were more of Andrometh's party about - a knight would not journey into the forest alone.   
  
The Archbishop Lazarus' eyebrows raised at the news the messenger bore him. " Ah, so Shakuras has murdered again, has he? "   
" Yes my lord, it appears so, " The messenger stammered. " Sir Galandor sent me to bring you this news. "   
Lazarus waves his hand in a gesture to dismiss the messenger. As soon as the room was empty, he got up from the heavy chair, and walked to the back of the room. He stopped at the edge of an expensive persian rug, bent over and hesitated. Then he picked up the edge of the carpet and rolled it over. Beneath it, there was a trapdoor. Lazarus pulled on the ring to open the heavy door, and grunted at the effort of moving the heavy object.   
  
Halfway down the stone steps, Lazarus found a lit torch mounted against the wall. He picked it up, and called into the darkness. His only answer was the echoes of his voice bouncing off the walls of the dungeon. The Archbishop breathed a sigh of relief. The creature was probably in one of the lower levels of the dungeon beneath the cathedral. He did not like being in its presence. He was afraid of it, and his fear was not that it would kill him - it held more weight than fear of death.   
The Archbishop turned to go back up the stairs to the cathedral, when a deep voice halted him in his tracks.   
" Why do you disturb me, Lazarus? Have I not warned you not to come down here? "   
The elderly man did not turn around. He shut his eyes, and breathed heavily before he spoke. " Leoric's son is still missing. The kingdom is restless - they need a king. "   
" Have you captured the one that has slain Leoric? "   
" No. The knights are out in the wilderness, searching for him even as we speak. "   
Lazarus finally turned around. The creature, as he called it, was half consealed in the darkness, but he could make out his hideous features in the flickering light from his torch. It was much larger than a man, and had a red tint to its skin. It had glowing red eyes, and razor sharp teeth, with two larger fangs protruding from its lower jaw. On its grotesque head, there were two horns.  
" Your knights will fail, and they will die! " The creature snarled. " I've sent some of my minions to destroy the meddling fool. They will undoubtedly also enjoy gnawing on the bones of any other humans they encounter... "   
Lazarus seemed worried. " But if you kill all the villiagers they will fight back. They will not so easily be terrorised. "   
The demon sent the Archbishop flying up the stairs with a powerful backhanded slap.   
" They will serve my lord, or more blood will flow, " The demon growled at the fallen bishop. Lazarus felt a trickle of blood run from his nose. With great effort, he got up and walked back up the steps and shut the trapdoor. No point in arguing with an agitated demon.  
  
Shakuras felt uneasy about his surroundings. He felt countless unseen eyes upon him, with every step he took, they seemed more ready to unleash all the fury of the burning hells upon him. He could hear voices, muttering uncomprehensible words and phrases. These were not the natural sounds of the forest. He decided to lay in wait for whatever was out there - if necessary, he could spring his trap on them, or it. " Rakanishu! " He heard a thin impish voice call out.  
  
The young warrior started climbing a nearby tree, to better pick out the location the voices were coming from - and also not to be seen by ground troops. Soon, a group of strange creatures, small and impish in nature, came into Shakuras' view. They carried swords, spears, all sorts of weapons and looked like foul little things. They had horns on their heads, and red skin. This was the Fallen, of which Shakuras had heard stories and tales, but had never beheld them himself. He was apalled at the very sight of them. Then, from the back of the band of imps, came one whose skin was coloured differently. He had blue skin, instead of red. He was most probably of a different race, Shakuras decided, or this blue one was special in some way.  
  
" Rakanishu! " One of the red imps called again, and the blue imp turned to him. " What do you want? " He yelled, and shoved the red imp to the ground. " Be quiet, or the humans will hear us before we're even close! "   
" I thought we were looking for one human, " another imp blurted out loudly. " Are there more humans to kill? " He asked, and rubbed his mean little claw-like hands in glee. Rakanishu drew his sword and put the tip at the little imp's neck. " Shut up!! " He hissed. " Or I will silence you permanently. " The little red imp seemed agitated at this rude behaviour, but said nothing. He made a gesture for Rakanishu to resume walking, in front of him. As the blue imp walked by the other, the red imp ripped out his scimitar, and violently slashed at his leader. Rakanishu dodged the slash, and extended his own weapon in reply. Electric bolts seemed to eminate from his arms, and flowed into his sword. He stabbed the red imp in its right shoulder, and the beast howled in agony. Not satisfied with only stabbing his attacker, Rakanishu released a blast of electricity so powerful, the other imp was catapulted through the air, and feel several feet away, his corpse smoking from the heat of Rakanishu's blast.   
" Any other challengers? " Rakanishu asked of his company. Nobody replied. Satisfied, Rakanishu led them on through the forest, and out of Shakuras' range of sight and hearing. 


End file.
